Subwoofer in front trunk?

[Bigbartguy]

I just upgraded my head unit and speakers and still arent getting enough bass.....and thinking about adding a sub-woofer.

I'm wondering if I can add a powered sub (Bazooka) and mount it in the front trunk? Will the bass come thru to the passenger area?

I'm not looking to spend $500 or rip up my interior/put a big box in the back seat, etc.

ps-I'll admit to being pretty clueless about car audio.

thanks!
Tim

[Tinker]

Tim,

I have a Bazooka tube in the front trunk of my 930. It takes up a bit of space but it sounds fine. I am using a small Fosgate Punch 45 to power it. I agree with you, I also didn`t want to rip up the interior to get some bass. From my understanding the bass frequency is non directional, so it really doesn`t matter where you mount.

Tinker

[john walker's workshop]

how about using the A/C hole, if it's empty, and cut a hole into the passenger side under the wood floor board

[DJB]

I have a Kenwood Sub located in my trunk between the camber bar and firewall. The bass is great.

[rstoll]

You can't say A/C hole on the board John.

[davis911s]

I'll agree with JW the "hole" where the AC compressor is would be a great spot to place a small sub and not lose any space. But it would be a custom job and might cost a bit more than a bazooka tube. But I guarantee it would sound better.

I used to be quite into car audio till I got the 911. Now I don't need or want a big system, but to each thier own.

Shawn

[vesnyder]

I just installed an Infinity BassLink in my '83 that I got on eBay for about $200. It was a bit larger that I anticipated, but worked out good! It is self powered so does not required anything more and it thumps. You might want to look into one?

[Superman]

When I emptied my smugglers box of all that A/C crap I thought " what a great place for a woofer." There is already a hole going to under the passenger floor board, and there are even hoses to the cool air vent in the cabin. It's the perfect spot. It's as good as a Bose design. Now to figure how to get a speaker in there.

[Epster77]

Tim,

Check out the link below. Looks like a great way to add more bass without sacrificing room upfront. I plan on using this in my 911 as well. I haven't ever bought amything from these guys, but after browsing their website, it seems as if they know what they are doing. Pretty cool guys as well. I emailed them requesting plans and demensions for the enclosure, and to my suprise, they responded quickly with all the info I needed to build it myslef. They mentioned that all questions are welcome whether I purchase anything or not. I was impressed. Good Luck!

Jimmy

http://www.caraudioinnovations.com/porsche.htm

[Targa Dude]

Hey Tim,
I just instsalled the Infinity Bass Link Powered Sub and I can honestly say this is the way to go. This Sub is very versitile you can add a remote control unit to further customize the sound as you drive. The sound this baby puts out is very clear Bass fully tunable to your type of music and it fits great in the front trunk area with out sacrificing to much space.
My targa top when folded up still fits in my trunk just as an example.

Good Luck.. Jorge (Targa Dude)

[JDaniel]

First thing I did when I bought my 911 was buy a new head unit (Blau) and speakers all around (PPI). It still sounded like *****.
I was contemplating the whole subwoofer thing.
Fortunately the second thing I did was buy a dual out exhaust.
Guess what?
Now I never listen to the stereo. The exhaust sound so sweet it would be sacrilege to turn on the music (not to mention that you couldn't hear it anyway).

[RoninLB]

I don't understand how a sound wave in the trunk transfers to the cabin unless thru sympathetic harmonics. Does that make sense?? If so then it should be inefficient/limited in reproducing tunes?? "bell" and "Steve W" are good with this 911 audio art, IMO. Rod Birch at Car Audio Innovations has a big rep in 911 audio...

[Bigbartguy]

I've decided to go with the 2 x 8" sub setup like the one from Car Audio Innovations.

The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to lose trunk space.....and no one (no human anyway) can even think about riding in my backseat anyway.

I'm going to give a run at making my own enclosure modeled after the Car Audio Innovations enclosure. I'm pretty handy (except around the dipstick/oil filler tube).

I'm happily surprised to hear that Rod at CAI would send out the plans/specs. I've sent him an email asking him for assistance as well. Wish me luck !
Tim

[bell]

Originally posted by RoninLB
I don't understand how a sound wave in the trunk transfers to the cabin unless thru sympathetic harmonics. Does that make sense?? If so then it should be inefficient/limited in reproducing tunes?? "bell" and "Steve W" are good with this 911 audio art, IMO. Rod Birch at Car Audio Innovations has a big rep in 911 audio...

on my carerra if the dash wasn't there it'd be open to the trunk, so a sub up front is easily heard. bass is nondirectional but other things vibrate which can make it dirrectional, so up front is an ideal place for a well balanced soundstage.
bass will travel through everything but it has major losses going through metal, the 911 dash's are pretty "soft" and is a minor obstacle for the soundwave. you do want too keep the sub "firing" forward or backward though as you will loose around 6db if it's firing strait up or down (i tested this when designing my setup). i'm using a single 10" with 100 watts and at 70-80mph with the top off you can still feel the bass very well.
hope this helps
bell

[piedogger]

Like I said last time we were on this subject I have a Desiegn for a subwoofer in the smugglers hatch. I have one avail. for a 74-89 coupe. I was going to use this for a mold but found it would be easier to start from scratch. The new desiegn will fit targas,cabs,and coupes. I'm about 1/2 way done with the mock-up needed for the mold. For you people who e-mailed me before sorry it's taken so long but I had to find an A/C unit to use then I have to make exact model of the enclosoure to use as a mold. Probably 1to11/2 months to compleation It tkes almost 1 month just to make the mold Each step needs to dry for 5 days. If anyone is interested in the one I have let me know Installation is available in washington.

[RoninLB]

bell.....most excellent reply........Ron

[bell]

oops! forgot to add. if you have the means to do the "smugglers hole" enclosure, i would say go for it, takes up very little space and every setup like that that i've heard has sounded great at all volumes (i've done a few like that but MANY years ago). it's not going to be the loudest steup, but the tradeoff of saving space is worth it.
my .03

[carnut169]

I had a box made to fit behind the pass seat and had the carpet matched as close as possible. The good thing about this set-up is the box is inside the cabin, but does not have to be drilled in because the seat holds it in place. I can remove it in 10secs for security if needed. I did have the amp mounted in the trunk so the batt cables would be as short as poss. Very happy w/ this system:

[falcon]

I checked out rod birch's site which is very informative but since I have kids I needed my rear seats. Car innovations only had a dual sub which covers the floor of both rear seat areas. I was looking for a one sub solution.

I ended up with a hybrid of previous posts. I purchased a self powered infinity basslink as vesnyder and targa dude but did not put it in the trunk. It sits wedged between the front passenger seat and the rear seat much exactly like carnut169. I can detach the cables in seconds for security or if both of my kids are riding. It gives excellent bass, though I haven't tried putting it in the trunk since I need the space for the CD changer, car cover, bra and cab cover.

The controls are within arm distance which is a plus.

Happy motoring!

[Steve W]

There should be a way to fit a single 12" or dual 10"s in the trunk firing into the smuggler's box. I've seen it done before. The trick is not to fit the sub in the smuggler's box, but to fabricate a sealed board replacing the smugglers door, and mount the subwoofer firing down (magnet up) on the board firing into the smugglers box. You would also need to find a way to modify the ac system so bass flows into the cabin properly, perhaps remove it all together. The subwoofer you select should properly match the air volume of the trunkspace behind it, perhaps one suited for large enclosures or infinite baffle.

I tried an experiment once, taking a 12" sub and porting the output through the ac/vent ducts behind the dash - that experiment failed miserably. Loss of output and lack of transient response.